Last Night on Late Night

James Franco Gave a Confusing Late Night Interview—and Then More Allegations Surfaced

“I have my own side of this story,” Franco told Seth Meyers, “but I believe in, you know, these people that have been underrepresented getting their stories out enough that I will hold back things that I could say.”

What are we to make of James Franco’sLate Night interview, in which the actor denied sexual misconduct allegations just hours before a Los Angeles Times article surfaced new accusations? For the most part, the actor stuck to the same script he used the night before on Stephen Colbert’sLate Show, saying that he supports the Time’s Up movement but refutes the claims of misconduct made against him on Twitter the night of the Golden Globes.

“I have my own side of this story,” Franco told host Seth Meyers Wednesday night, “but I believe in, you know, these people that have been underrepresented getting their stories out enough that I will hold back things that I could say.”

On Colbert, the actor said he had not read the claims about him, but he had heard about them. On Meyers’s show, however, the actor said he was sent a couple of the tweets: “So yeah, I did read them. I haven’t responded.” Either way, Franco’s general argument was the same: this conversation needs to happen, and he supports it, which is why he wore a Time’s Up pin to the Globes in the first place. But the claims about him in particular are inaccurate, according to Franco.

“There are people—women and others—who have not been a part of this conversation, and I truly believe—and why I was wearing the pin—is that they need to be a part of this conversation, and so I support that,” Franco said.

Franco’s interview with Meyers aired just hours ahead of an L.A. Times investigation that included testimonies from two of the women who spoke out against Franco on Twitter, as well as acting students and aspiring actresses with whom Franco allegedly had shared—at least at first—a mentor/mentee relationship. One of the women accused Franco of removing the protective guards covering women’s genitals during a sex scene, while another claimed the actor coerced her into performing oral sex on him. Another recalled filming a scene in which Franco allegedly asked female actresses to remove their shirts—and grew visibly angry when none complied. Franco’s attorney, Michael Plonsker, refuted all of the allegations made in the L.A. Times, pointing to Franco’s Colbert interview, in which the actor said, “Look, in my life, I pride myself on taking responsibility for things that I have done. I have to do that to maintain my well-being. The things that I heard that were on Twitter are not accurate. But I completely support people coming out and being able to have a voice because they didn’t have a voice for so long. So I don’t want to shut them down in any way.”

Ally Sheedy, whose since-deleted tweets about Franco during the Golden Globes Sunday night received the most attention, did not speak to the L.A. Times. When Meyers asked Franco if he had reached out to Sheedy—who obliquely accused Franco of bad behavior—the actor repeated, more or less, what he said on Late Show: “I had a great relationship with her. She took the tweet down. I don’t know. I really don’t.”

Meyers pressed Franco, replying, “Not curious enough though to reach out to her as someone that you’ve—you had a good relationship with before and to try to understand why she would have done that?”

“I don’t know,” Franco said. “It was so shocking. I don’t know. I guess I’m just letting it be.”

Like Colbert on Tuesday night, Meyers did not ask about Franco’s Instagram incidents in 2014—which included posting a risqué selfie and admitting to trying to meet up with a 17-year-old girl, asking her if he should rent a room at a hotel for them. “I’m embarrassed, and I guess I’m just a model of how social media is tricky,” Franco said on Live with Kelly and Michael after his attempted meet-up went viral. “It’s a way people meet each other today, but what I’ve learned is you don’t know who’s on the other end. I used bad judgment and I learned my lesson.”

Learning lessons appears to be something of a theme for Franco. Violet Paley, who accused Franco of coercing her into oral sex before they later began a consensual sexual relationship, told the L.A. Times that after the allegations against Harvey Weinstein broke last year, she had e-mailed Franco to voice her anger and sadness at how he had treated her. Per the L.A. Times, the actor didn’t respond—but when the two spoke later on the phone, Paley said that while Franco said it was wrong to have a sexual relationship with someone recovering from substance abuse, he also believed he hadn’t done “anything illegal” and added, “I’m a changed man.”

On Late Night, Franco emphasized his support for the movement toward accountability in Hollywood, repeating that he didn’t want to detract from the women’s stories while simultaneously and paradoxically claiming that they were not true—without offering any specific rebuttals.

“There are stories that need to get out,” Franco told Meyers. “There are people that need to be heard. I have my own side of this story, but I believe in, you know, these people that have been underrepresented getting their stories out enough that I will hold back things that I could say just because I believe in it that much, and if I have to take a knock because I’m not going to try and actively refute things then I will. Because I believe in it that much.”